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Virus disguised as System Settings Notifications

MacGizmo said:
That's exactly what they are. They're notifications from a website, not the system. And they all lead to a site offering software to "fix" problems (obviously a scam).
Click to expand...
Yes. Correct. It opens a web address that can't load. Is the hack still on the computer, just turned off?
 
MacGizmo said:
That's exactly what they are. They're notifications from a website, not the system. And they all lead to a site offering software to "fix" problems (obviously a scam).
Click to expand...
Can these Safari notifications happen when Safari does not have the website open?
 
MacGizmo said:
Turning off Safari notifications DOES turn them off. The problem is that it turns them ALL off, which is throwing the baby out with the bath water.

My comments are directed at everyone, not just you. You can call it spam, but that's just the end-result of the notification settings. Call it virus, call it spam, or anything else you might think of. This is simply a case of some website adding itself to your browser notification list—so technically speaking, it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Malware is probably a good description for what this is. And the "spam" is the "scam" – in that when you click any one of those notifications, you're taken to a website trying to charge you money to fix the problem via software (which probably IS malware).

The OP didn't post a response, but I just offered the solution a few hours ago (in the middle of the night, no less). He may not ever respond, which would be frustrating for the people currently posting in this thread, but it doesn't change what it is or the solution, for future readers who may come across this issue.

I don't think your comment, or anyone else's here, is "off-topic" – they're just jumping to conclusions and offering solutions that are completely unnecessary. It's not a virus, it doesn't require an OS re-insall, it certainly doesn't require taking the Mac into the Apple Store for repair/diagnostics, etc. It simply needs to be clicked in a list and a delete button pressed.

The reason I'm 100% certain of everything I've said is that I literally just had this exact same thing happen (see screenshot below) and I deleted the one Safari Notification entry and it fixed the problem immediately and hasn't happened since. I also did a thorough diagnostic on the Mac and found absolutely nothing new on the Mac except that Notification compared to before that notification got there.

The only question is how it got in the list to begin with. Websites can do a lot with javascript and other web tech, or it could just be that I (and the OP) weren't paying attention when a nefarious pop-up asked for permission to allow notifications, or any number of other ways.

Here's my glorious Notification list from this past week:

View attachment 2146075
Click to expand...
I'm new to the Apple/MacOS echo system. Question please: How do you run a thorough diagnositic on Mac as you put it? any specific tools? I appreciate any details. Thanks
 
CleanMyMacX also has some diagnostic routines. It costs, as does EtreCheck Pro. Developers need to eat.
 
Apple Support - Customize website notifications in Safari on Mac
https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/customize-website-notifications-sfri40734/mac
"If you let websites send you notifications, each notification appears in the top-right corner of your screen.

Stop receiving notifications from a website​

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu
    2f77cc85238452e25cb517130188bf99.png
    > System Settings, then click Notifications
    287be8ecdb2806cac35b021ecf0c0cf1.png
    in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

  2. Go to Application Notifications on the right, click the website, then turn off Allow Notifications.
    The website remains in the list in Notifications settings. If you want to remove it from the list, deny the website permission to send notifications in Safari settings. See Change Websites settings.

Stop seeing requests for permission to send you notifications in Safari​

  1. In the Safari app
    6846073fc6f766d1ad3f66ae757c5e24.png
    on your Mac, choose Safari > Settings.
  2. Click Websites, then click Notifications.
  3. Deselect “Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications.”
    From now on, when you visit a website that wants to send you notifications, you aren’t asked.

Change how website notifications appear​

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu
    2f77cc85238452e25cb517130188bf99.png
    > System Settings, then click Notifications
    287be8ecdb2806cac35b021ecf0c0cf1.png
    in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

  2. Go to Application Notifications on the right, click the website, then change the website alert style and other settings."

Apple Suppor - Change Websites settings in Safari on Mac
https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/websites-ibrwe2159f50/16.1/mac/13.0
"Notifications
  • Allow: The site can send you notifications.
  • Deny: The site can’t send you notifications.
  • Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications: When you visit a website that wants to send you notifications, you see a dialog asking if you want to receive them. To stop seeing the dialog, deselect this option.
Sites you allow to send notifications are also listed in Notifications settings."
 
MacGizmo said:
OMG, STOP with all this about virus scanners, restoring from backup, Apple Store, spam and such. Calm and clear thinking are generally the best cure in these cases.

I had the exact same thing happen about a week ago. I noticed it right after installing a tiny piece of software off GitHub. My first thought was malware, but since it was a notification, I decided to start there – sure enough, I found the problem and fixed it with not so much as a restart.

Just go into your Safari Notification preferences (Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications) and delete it from the list. It will be the one that shows the System Settings icon but doesn't have an actual name (probably the first one in the list).
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This worked for me......Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!! I can't thank you enough!
 
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denisej said:
This worked for me......Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!! I can't thank you enough!
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You're very welcome!

People (in general) tend to throw around words like "hacked, virus, and malware" too easily. It's almost always none of those. I suppose you could consider this "malware" - but I think "annoyanceware" is probably more accurate. ;)
 
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MacGizmo said:
OMG, STOP with all this about virus scanners, restoring from backup, Apple Store, spam and such. Calm and clear thinking are generally the best cure in these cases.

I had the exact same thing happen about a week ago. I noticed it right after installing a tiny piece of software off GitHub. My first thought was malware, but since it was a notification, I decided to start there – sure enough, I found the problem and fixed it with not so much as a restart.

Just go into your Safari Notification preferences (Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications) and delete it from the list. It will be the one that shows the System Settings icon but doesn't have an actual name (probably the first one in the list).
Click to expand...
THANK YOU!
 
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